graves



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-$119M 1'. E. J. GRAVES. AUTOMATIC VENDING MACHINE.

No. 466,928. Patented Jan. 12,1892,

M m MN 3 m 9?) mm A L MEN? MK. O $1,; mm Qw W HIIEF a km. L NIL] Wm. G NN 0, NN

I|$w N -umo,, WASHINQTGN n c (No Model.) H 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

E. J. GRAVES. AUTOMATIC VENDING MACHINE.

No. 466,928. Patented Jan. 12, 1892.

ms NORRIS PETERS 00.. mom-umm, msmusrou, l7. c4

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ED'WARD J. GRAVES, OF NElV YORK, N. Y.

AUTOMATIC VENDING-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 466,928, dated January 12, 1892.

Application filed July 24, 1891- Serial. No. 400,580- (No modelJ the following is a full and exact description thereof, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, making a part of this specification.

My invention relates to automatic vending apparatus, and is designed to improve the construction of such apparatus, and particularly to improve and render more certain the operation of the devices intended to prevent the actuation of the delivery mechanism when a false coin is inserted; to cause the return to the person inserting them of all false, lightweight, and mutilated coins; to prevent a secnd delivery of the articles vended until the mechanism has been returned to its normal position after a previous delivery, and otherwise to improve various features of the apparatus.

In the drawings, Figure l is a sectional front view of the apparatus on the line w w of Fig. 2, which is a sectional side View on the line as cc of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an irregular vertical section substantially on the line y y of Fig. 1. Fig. a is an irregular horizontal section on the line .2 z of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a detailed section on the line a a of Fig. 4, and Fig. -6 is a detailed perspective view of a portion of the mechanism.

I have shown my improvements as embodied in an apparatus for vending cigars; but it will be understood that they are applicable. to apparatus for vending other articles.

The receptacle 11 for the articles to be vended consists of a box of suitable shape and size, preferably having an inclined bottom 12, with an opening 13 at its lowest point for the escape of the articles. The receptacle is not fixed rigidly to the apparatus, but is supported in position removably by studs or pins let, whichenter holes 15 in some other portion of the apparatus. The receptacle is thus readily removable, to be replaced by a 50 full one when empty or to facilitate examination of the mechanism behind and beneath it. Astirrer or shaker ldgconsisting of a plate or arms having a pin 17 projecting through a slot 18 in the side wall of the receptacle, is provided in the lower portion of the receptacle. From the opening 13 the articles pass into a chute 19,in which they are maintained in column, as represented, and in which they are subject to the action of the escapement devices, as hereinafter described. The chute 19 is likewise made removable to facilitate examination of the mechanism.

In Fig. 2 of the drawings the pin let is visible only at its point of attachment to the receptacle 11, the lower portion being entered within the hole 15, which is indicated by clotted lines. In Fig. 4 the point of view being above the plane of the pins the upper ends of both pins appear as small rectangles included within the larger rectangles, which indicate the lugs 20 behind it, being formed with lugs 20, which enter slots 21 in the supporting frame-work 22, and which in the construction shown are themselves formed with holes to receive the pins 14 of the receptacle. The chute communicates with the deliverypassage 23, which opens at 21 in the lower front portion of the casing, and has an inclined back and bottom 25 to insure the proper delivery of the articles.

The escapement for releasing the articles one at a time comprises, essentially, a stop 26, standing in the line of movement of the articles, and a gate 27 in a different plane and adapted to be moved into the path of movement of the articles when the stop 26 is movedout of it. The stop and gate are carried, preferably, by a frame consisting of a horizontal bar 28, to which the stop 26 is attached, and arms 29, which carry the gate 27. Attached to the frame, or it may be to the gate, is a lifting-finger 30, which projects through a slot 31 in the front of chute 19, and may have a guide, as 32, if necessary. The frame may be guided in its movements by extensions which enter slots in the supporting frame-work The frame and the connected mechanism hereinafter referred to are restored to normal position, after movement, by weights or springs 33, which may be applied, as shown, between the gate and a fixed rod 34:. The movement of the frame to its full extent releases one article and checks the remainder, as is'well understood, and at the same time by means of the finger 3O lifts the column of articles in the chute 19 and brings into parallelism any that may be out of position. As the chute is inclined or curved, and as the finger 30, which is attached to the escapement device, does not enter the chute in its lowest position, the path of the articles is normally unobstructed, while the desired action of the finger is obtained when the escapement is operated without the use of a complicated system of levers.

The escapement-frame is connected by a link 35 with an arm 36, secu red to a rock-shaft 37, to which is also secured a crank-arm 38. In the construction shown this crank-arm is moved and the operating mechanism actuated through a push-rod 39, connected to the arm and projecting in front of the machine. The shaft also bears an arm 40, to which is connected a slotted link 41 to operate the shaker 10 positively and directly by the same movement which secures the delivery of the article. The slot in the link permits the restoration of the parts to normal position, though a cigar or other article should be caught under the shaker.

At the end of the shaft 37 or in other convenient position thereon is secured a segmental plate 42, having a deep notch 43 and a series of stepped notches 44. It may also hear an anti-friction roller45. The main function of this plate is to lock the delivery apparatus against movement until it has been released by the insertion of a propcrcoin.

The first section of the coin-chute has a suitable receiving-orifice, and is so placed as to permit the coin to roll through it on edge.

' In the bottom of this first section is a slot 48,

of a width sli htly less than the thickness of the coin which it has been determined shall release the delivery mechanism. If a coin of less than the proper thickness be inserted in the chute, it will pass through this slot and fall upon an extension of the inclined backand bottom 25 of the delivery-chute, and be thereby delivered at the opening 24. If the coin be of the proper thickness, it will pass over the slot 48 and will be delivered upon its side to the second section 49. tom of this is a round hole 50, of a diameter slightly less than that of the proper coin and also over the extension of the back 25 of the delivery-chute. In case, therefore, a coin of less diameter than that of the predetermined coin be inserted in the chute it will be returned at the delivery-opening 24. From the section 49 the coin, which has been tested as to thickness and diameter, passes upon a weighttesting device similar to that described in my patent, No. 435,626, granted September 2, 1890, but modified and improved to reject and return a coin of light weight as well as one too heavy. It consists of a section 51 of the chute pivoted at 52 and counterbalanced bya weighted lever 53. This section does not deliver to a receptacle, as in my said patent, but to a chute 54, having narrow In the bot-- 'shown at 61 in Fig. 5.

receiving-slot 55. The counter-balance is so adjusted that the delivery end of the section 51 shall stand above the line of the slot 55, andas that the said end shall be depressed to deliver a coin into the slot only by a coin of the right weight. If the coin be light,it will strike the frame above the slot 55, while if it be too heavy it will strike the frame below the slot. In either case it will not reach the releasing devices, but will be returned through the delivery-chute 23. I have found that if the coin be allowed to pass too rapidly over the section 51 it is not certain to operate the same. Consequently I have devised means to check the momentum of the coin just as it falls upon the section 51. It is important that the coin should be checked just at the right time lest it should lodge or fail to be delivered to the chute 55. To this end I have placed the section' 51 below the end of the section 49, dropped the bottom of the latter, asindicated at 56 in Fig. 5,to about the line of section 51, and placed the hood 57 in position to receive the impact of the coin and cause the coin to fall upon the plate 56, from which it slides with the proper velocity upon the section 51. It will be observed that the delivery-chute underlies the sections of. the coin-chute which are provided, respectively, with the slot 48 andthe hole 50, and the pivoted section 51, whereby the rejected coins are delivered in one place in common with the'articles vended, and it is unnecessary to provide additional rejected coin-receptacles.

The chute 54 is extended to deliver the coin upon the coin-receiver 60, which is carried through an arm 58 by a counterbalanced locking-lever 59. Said lever normally stands in engagement with the deep notches 43 of the segment 42, and when depressed by the weight of a coin-in the receiver 60 moves into the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1. The parts are then free to be moved by pushing in the rod 39. r

In order that the apparatus may not fail to operate when a good coin is placed in the chute, it is necessary that the coin shall remain on the receiver and keep the lever depressed until a single article has been delivered. Consequently the movement of the delivery mechanism isdepended upon to move the coin from the receiver. To this end the receiver is made as a plate, without front or back, and is slotted from the inner edge, as

is adapted to enter said slot when the lever 59 is depressed to its full extent and to dislodge the coin from the receiver, as shown in Fig. 6. To prevent a premature dislodging of the coin, a spring 63 is placed in the path of movement of the lever and has sufficient stiffness to check the movement of the lever under thointluence of the coin and to stop it in the posiiipn shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1. Just at the completion of the movement of the pushro'fl 39 the end of the segmental A fixed projection 62 arm 42 or the roller l5 thereon strikes the lever 59 and depresses it far enough to dislodge the coin from the receiver, from which it falls into the cash-drawer. The instantthe pushrod is released the parts move toward their normal position under the influence of the spring 33, and the lever 59 rises and engages successively the stepped notches 44: in the segmental arm, thereby preventing the possibility of any further forward movement on til the locking-lever has been depressed by the insertion of another coin, even though the push-rod should be checked at some intermediate point in its outward movement.

In order to prevent an accidental dislodgment of the coin from the receiver, a hood 64: is placed over the end of the chute 54C and is extended downward in the arc of a circle of which the pivot of the lever 59 is the center. It is thus conformed to the path of the outer edge of the receiver and is near enough thereto to prevent the displacement of the coin until the receiver reaches the dotted-line position.

As indicated in Fig. 3, a plateof glass may be inserted in the front of the apparatus to enable the purchaser to see whether the supply of articles is exhausted.

The operation of my improved machine of necessity has been described step by step and will be understood clearly in its entirety.

I claim as my invention- 1. In a vending-machine, the combination, with a coin-chute comprising an inclined section vertically disposed to allow the coin to roll on its edge and having in its bottom a longitudinal slot of a width slightly less than that of the predetermined coin, a section horizontally disposed to allow the coin to slide through it on its side and having in its bottom a hole of a diameter slightly less than that of the predetermined coin, and a pivoted counterbalanced section which is adapted in its normal position to deliver coins to the releasing device of the machine, of a deliverychute underlying the said several sections and having a delivery-opening, substantially as shown and described.

2. The combination of a horizontally-disposed and longitudinallyinclined coin-chute having the end section of its bottom dropped below the line of the mainportion, a hood placed across the line of said main portion ceiver supported thereby and having its bottom slotted in the direction of its movement, a fixed projection adapted to enter said slot, a spring to hold said receiver from said projection, a shaft, means to oscillate saidshaft, and a cam-plate carried by said shaft and adapted to depress said lever against the stress of said spring, substantially as shown and described.

4. In a vending-machine, the combination of a receptacle having an inclined bottom with anopening at its lower point, a pivoted plate above and substantially parallel with said bottom, an oscillating shaft havinga handle connected thereto, an arm on said shaft, and a link pivoted to said arm and having near its other end a longitudinal slot to embrace a pin projecting from said plate, sub stantially as shown and described.

5. The combination, in a vending-machine, of an oscillating shaft, an escapement device regulating the delivery of the articles, connections between said shaft and escapement for actuating the latter, a segmental arm attached to said shaft and having a series of notches formed therein, and a coin-operated lever adapted, when released and when said arm is moved backward, to engage said notches successively, substantially as shown and described.

6. In a vending-machine, the combination of a supporting frame-work having open-ended ways, a chute to conduct the articles to the escapement devices and having projections engaging said ways and having sockets, and a receptacle for the articles to be vended having pins entering said sockets, whereby the chute and receptacle may be removed readily, sdbstantially as shown and described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

EDWARD J. GRAVES. \Vitnesses:

A. N. JESBERA, A. WIDDER. 

